Judge Reinhold

Engaging comic actor, tall and freckle-faced with a neighborly air, whose strong suit has been enacting a naif's befuddlement and a slapstick-style physical elasticity. After starting out in regional...
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Paramount via Everett Collection
Anyone alive in 1984 — and many that weren't — can instantly recognize the synthesizer strains of Beverly Hills Cop's theme song "Axel F." Eddie Murphy's blockbuster comedy topped Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to be the year's top grossing movie. With talk that another sequel to the film is in the works, it's time to look back at what made the original such a smash. You might be able to hum along with the theme, but here are some fun facts that you might not know.
1. Sylvester Stallone was set to play Axel Foley right up until two weeks before filming was to begin, causing the production team to rewrite on the fly in order for Murphy to step into the role.
2. When director Martin Brest was offered the job by producer Jerry Bruckheimer he was lukewarm on the project, so he flipped a coin to decide whether or not to do it. When the film became a huge success, Brest had the quarter that he used framed.
3. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton did an improv bit during their joint audition that ended up in the movie. It's the scene in the film where Reinhold's Rosemont tells Ashton's Taggart that the average American has "five pounds of undigested red meat in his bowels."
4. The script bounced around Hollywood for a long time and was originally a more traditional, tense actioner. Among the directors that turned down the more serious script were Martin Scorsese and David Cronenberg. Before Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Al Pacino, and James Caan were each attached to the Axel role at various times.
5. Even though Reinhold was only two years removed from playing a high school senior in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the actor is four years older than Murphy, who was only 23-years-old when Beverly Hills Cop was released.
6. The T-shirt that Murphy wears in the film is from a real Detroit area high school (Mumford), which was inundated with requests for the shirt. The section of the movie filmed in Detroit also featured Gil Hill, who actually did work for the city police department, as Murphy's boss. Hill went on to be a city councilman in the Motor City.
7. The Beverly Hills police in the movie use something called a "satellite tracking system," which the film team made up as a way to get around a sticky plot issue. The government's first GPS didn’t become fully operational until 1995… 11 years after Beverly Hills Cop.
8. Harold Faltermeyer, who scored a Top 10 hit with the instrumental "Axel F," also wrote Glenn Frey's Top 10 hit from the soundtrack, "The Heat Is On." The movie produced two other hits in The Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance" and Patti LaBelle's "New Attitude."
9. Originally, the art museum where Axel goes to find his friend Jenny once he gets to Los Angeles was supposed to have two men working in it. When Bronson Pinchot — who would later star in the television show Perfect Strangers — auditioned with the weird Eastern European accent that his character Serge affects, Brest made the role bigger to allow more interaction between Pinchot and Murphy. The character was such a hit that Pinchot's sitcom character used a variation of the same accent.
10. Stallone retained his affinity for the original script. His film Cobra was largely based on the ideas that he had for Beverly Hills Cop. That film, along with Beverly Hills Cop 2, co-starred Stallone's one-time wife Brigitte Nielsen.
11. The film was the first comedy to open on over 2,000 screens upon its release. Its success helped set the stage for the "wide openings" that became the norm in later years.
12. The movie was the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all-time until The Hangover finally knocked it from its perch. It made over $230 million at the box office in the United States. Adjusted for inflation, however, that would translate to over $650 million now.

Universal Pictures via Everett Collection
Oddly enough, the body-swapping genre has been one of the most consistent in Hollywood. This somewhat campy story tradition focuses on two characters, often a parent and child but occasionally friends, swapping bodies unexpected, leading a comedy of errors to ensue. It may be hard to believe that this entire genre began with an 1800s novel titled Vice Versa. People might also not connect the countless Freaky Friday remakes with an actual children’s book by Mary Rodgers. This genre may be slowly dying as people’s interest in magic requires teenage wizards or shiny vampires. However, there have quite a number of films that have played to, played with, or played against this popular trope.
Here’s some of the most famous, and forgettable, Body Switching Movies:
Freaky Friday (1976)
Fans of Oscar winner Jodie Foster will remember her as a tomboy in this classic Disney movie. Based on the popular kid's book, Foster’s character swaps places with her housewife mother (Barbara Harris) after the two simultaneously wish to switch places (Boom! It happens just like that). This was before the days of assigning rules or logic to magic. That may be why it’s only the one Freaky Friday and not a franchise. Prepare yourself for the inevitable Thowback Thursday movie.
Like Father Like Son (1987)
Dudley Moore is best known for his role as Arthur. However, he and the now controversial Kirk Cameron starred in this body swap comedy. The two ingest a bizarre South American potion and switch bodies. This film was released in theaters but has a distinct made-for-TV feel. It’s also a lot darker and less fun than you’d expect from the genre. It’s one of the few non-Hallmark channel acting roles of Cameron… though that isn’t saying much.
Vice Versa (1988)
This film doesn’t credit the classic Victorian story but is a modern retelling of the father/son body swap novel. Fred Savage switches places with his uptight father (Judge Reinhold) after the two conveniently yell they wish to swap places while holding a Buddhist statue. Savage is great as at playing the outspoken adult despite his diminutive stature. Reinhold was also pretty childlike in his role in Beverly Hills Cop, so this isn’t much of a stretch. There are also great appearances by Swoosie Kurtz and Jane Kaczmarek.
18 Again! (1988)
George Burns stars with Charlie Schlatter in this comedy that is a little twisted. 81-year-old Burns switches places with his 18-year-old grandson, putting his life at risk, and allowing Schlatter to do a convincing old-timey accent. Don't confuse it with Zac Efron's film 17 Again... although that's its own kind of body swapping film.
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
People may forget this Alec Baldwin/Meg Ryan romantic drama. Based on a play of the same name, Ryan goes against type as a misanthropic eccentric who falls in love with Baldwin’s lonely conservative. It channels Dharma &amp; Greg until the film makes a sharp turn. At the couple’s wedding, Ryan gets a kiss from an old man and becomes a different person. You guessed it: they switch bodies. The film then goes on an existential journey about life, love, and youth. Despite being a little depressing, it had surprisingly great performances by Baldwin and Ryan.
Freaky Friday (1995)
In this remake, Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann play the mother daughter duo that switch bodies because of matching magical necklaces. In the book and original movie, the mother is a married homemaker, but in this film Long plays a divorced workaholic.
Wish Upon a Star (1996)
Disney also released this other Freaky Friday-themed kid’s movie. A young Katherine Heigl plays a high maintenance pretty girl (sound familiar?) whose younger sister, played by Danielle Harris of the Halloween franchise, wishes on a star to see what the former's life is like. The two learn, through really high-stakes magical roleplay, to appreciate how tough one another has it. It’s a halfway decent movie but pales in comparison to the two other Disney bodyswap films.
Face/Off (1997)
This film takes a darkly, starkly real take on body swapping. FBI Agent John Travolta literally has his face taken off and attached to the head of his mortal enemy, played by Nicolas Cage. Despite the implausibility of face swapping and the fact that no one points out the vast differences in their bodies, this action movie is amazing. There’s a ton of suspense, a lot of campy fun, and some prime crazy Nic Cage.
Virtual Sexuality (1999)
This British romantic comedy really plays with the genre. A persnickety virgin goes into a machine and designs the man of her dreams. The problem, after an explosion, she wakes up in his body. Talk about loving yourself. This film is fun and focuses on the interesting dating differences between men and women, so the “magic” of body switches doesn’t get too distracting.
The Hot Chick (2002)
If Mean Girls never happened this, might be the role that Rachel McAdams would have been remembered for. She plays a Regina George type who, via a magic earring, swaps places with a thief played by Rob Schneider. Let's just say that Schneider has definitely made worse. It also features Anna Farris and Tia and Tamera Mowry.
Freaky Friday (2003)
This film established Lindsay Lohan as a teen icon. The Parent Trap was a great remake, but this new edgier, raspier Lohan is the girl who went on to rule the early 2000s. It also was Jamie Lee Curtis’ unofficial Activia audition. The actresses play the same feuding mom and daughter that swap bodies after opening up magic fortune cookies. If you haven’t seen this classic, check it out to remember when Lohan became a star.
It’s a Boy Girl Thing (2006)
This forgettable film is on Hulu if you doubt it ever existed. Kevin Zegers, best known for the recent Mortal Instruments movie, and Samaire Armstrong, who is on Resurrection, swap bodies and genders in this incarnation. This film blends the body-swap with the popular gender-bender genre. This means a ton of going into the wrong bathroom jokes.
The Change-Up (2011)
Just a few years ago, when Ryan Reynolds was everywhere, this film was a pit stop on his journey out of the limelight. He plays a wild bachelor who switches places with his married best friend (Justin Bateman). The film feels like lesser Happy Madison rather than a great comedy, despite the talented men at the head of the cast.
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Orion Pictures Corporation via Everett Collection
It's 2014 and I was looking back at the movies that came out in 1984. I was blown away by the number of good movies that came out that year. I was then moved to tears that they are now 30 years old ... which means I'm getting older, since I saw most of, if not nearly all 10 of these in the theater.
The Terminator
Conan The Barbarian had put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map, but this was the one that made him an A-list action superstar. The funny thing? He originally was supposed to play the role of the good guy, but he decided to be the unstoppable killing machine instead. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, some puny wimp is uttering "I'll be back ..." and their movie world is much poorer for it.
16 Candles
Molly Ringwald and John Hughes formed such a perfect tag team in the '80s Teen Movie genre that they could have probably won the WWF (it was called that in the '80s) Championship. Anthony Michael Hall also owes SUCH a huge debt of gratitude to this movie. There's also a very strong chance that the character of Long Duk Dong would probably not exist if this movie was made today.
Beverly Hills Cop
This was another star-making vehicle, this time with Eddie Murphy driving it. The former Saturday Night Live actor played wisecracking Detroit detective Axel Foley to perfection. Add Jonathan Banks as a dead-eyed hitman and Judge Reinhold as a hapless Beverly Hills Detective and it's no wonder this movie stayed in the theaters as long as it did.
Gremlins
Admit it - when you saw this movie, you SO wanted a Mogwai. Gizmo was SO cute and it was very sad that he was really a mechanical creature. The Gremlins, though. They scared the living daylights out of me. But Phoebe Cates ... mmm. Yes. Phoebe Cates.
Ghostbusters
I'm amazed that I'm at the fifth movie and am JUST getting to Ghostbusters. Who can forget Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as they tracked down supernatural ghosts. Dean and Sam Winchester would have learned a thing or two from these guys, like answering Yes if someone asks if you are a god. Ooh. I think I hear a doggie that someone left outside.
The Karate Kid
Forget the Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith remake: this is the best Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita gave us an unforgettable film, and it also helped keep Billy Zabka in the spotlight, with his recent guest appearances on How I Met Your Mother. Wax on, Wax off, indeed. Also, I had SUCH a huge crush on Elizabeth Shue back then.
Red Dawn
Another classic that blows the horrible remake away. Sorry, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen's combined starpower incinerate the cast of the 2012 version. Also, that opening scene with the Russians parachuting to the ground gave me nightmares for MONTHS.
Footloose
Kevin Bacon's version didn't even NEED a remake. I don't understand what the powers-that-be were thinking when they greenlit the new film. As cheesy and corny as it is, it's also awesome, what with John Lithgow and Lori Singer turning in some fine performances. Also ... Kenny Loggins, man. Kenny Loggins. That is all I have to say.
A Nightmare On Elm Street
This is the only movie that I didn't see in the theater, because I am a huge wimp and I do NOT like seeing gory horror movies. This was such an innovation though, what with the genre being populated by the silent Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. Freddy Krueger and his persona were such a huge change. That was before it devolved into silly sequels before the remake tried to breathe new life in the franchise.
This Is Spinal Tap
This is the mockumentary to end all mockumentaries. It's hilarious from the get-go. Who can forget Harry Shearer getting stuck in the chrysalis? One word: Stonehenge. Also, despite the dangers that this movie espoused, I am a drummer to this very day. I can proudly say that I have yet to spontaneously comb
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Almost 20 years after the last Beverly Hills Cop movie, Axel Foley will protect the Hills once more.
Deadline confirms that when the TV series based on Eddie Murphy's role in the iconic franchise was dropped, Paramount Pictures expressed interest in developing a new installment. According to the site, the spin-off's pilot, which tested extremely well, displayed a scene-stealing Murphy that "had people talking" and "showed [that] the character and Murphy’s portrayal are still pretty potent." Although CBS chose not to pick the Murphy-produced pilot up for a series, his co-producer, Shawn Ryan, also confirmed via Twitter that "the pilot tested so well, it has caused Paramount to put another [Beverly Hills Cop] movie into development." While the first attempt at Beverly Hills Cop 4 was terminated by Murphy in anticipation of the television series, it seems as if the franchise will be continuing after all.
Murphy's first portrayal of the tough-talking Detroit cop held the box office record for R-rated comedies until it was beaten by The Hangover. The comedian, who was last seen on the silver screen in Tower Heist, better dust off his badge and gun, because it's time for a comeback.
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More:Eddie Murphy Shopping Beverly Hills Cop RebootEddie Murphy And Judge Reinhold Reunite On 'Beverly Hills Cop'Eddie Murphy Set For Another 'Beverly Hills Cop'
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Vegas Goes All In on New Night: CBS announced on Thursday that it will keep the Theo James-led cop drama Golden Boy on Tuesday nights — in the 10 PM ET/PT slot previously belonging to Vegas— instead of moving it to Fridays at 9 PM ET/PT as planned. That means Vegas will air at 9 on Fridays beginning April 5, while a new Golden Boy episode will air this Friday as scheduled, following Undercover Boss. [TVLine]
Joy Behar Leaving The View: After 16 and a half years on The View, Joy Behar is leaving ABC's daytime talk show. “Joy Behar has been instrumental in the success of The View from the very beginning. We wish her all the best in this next chapter, and are thrilled that we have her for the remainder of the season,” ABC said in a statement. Behar said she felt 16.5 years on The View were enough. “It seemed like the right time,” she said. “You reach a point when you say to yourself, ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’ There are other things on my plate I want to do — I’ve been writing a play, I’ve been neglecting my standup.” [Deadline]
House Vet Returns to TV: House alum Omar Epps just landed a role in ABC’s drama pilot The Returned. Based on Jason Mott’s novel, the potential series is about how the lives of the people of Arcadia are forever changed when their deceased loved ones return. Epps’ Immigration Agent Martin Bellamy is in town to figure out the identity of the mysterious kid claiming to be the long-dead child of a couple. [TVLine]
RELATED: TV Tidbits: Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold Reunite
New Actress Selected: British actress Sarah Winter (who next appears in a U.K. TV movie about Doctor Who's origins) is set to co-star in The CW's retooled pilot The Selection. Set 300 years in the future, it is an epic romance centering on a working-class young woman, America Singer (Israeli actress Yael Grobglas), chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women for Prince Maxon's (Michael Malarkey) hand to become the nation's next queen. Winter will play Ashley Brovillette, a naive young woman who is overjoyed to be chosen as one of the contestants for The Selection competition. [THR]
Interested Mother Joins The Hundred: Paige Turco, who recurs on CBS' Person of Interest, has been cast in The CW's drama pilot The Hundred. Based on the forthcoming Hundred books by Kass Morgan, the drama takes place 97 years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. A spaceship housing the lone human survivors sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth to investigate the possibility of re-colonizing the planet. Turco will play Abby, mother to Clarke (Eliza Taylor), who is the authoritative chief medical officer of The Ark space station. She navigates the political spectrum with tact -- especially after her husband was put to death as a traitor for revealing the truth about The Ark's limited life-expectancy. [THR]
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[Photo Credit: Richard Cartwright/CBS]
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A Beverly Hills Reunion: Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop TV reboot keeps sounding better and better. Judge Reinhold, who played the "by the books" detective William "Billy" Rosewood in the film series of the same name, will make a cameo in CBS' pilot, right alongside Murphy. He'll take on his former character, who has since been promoted. [The Wrap]
He's Still Watching...: Oh sorry, was one bit of nostalgia casting not enough for you? Well, Anthony Stewart Head — AKA, the "Watcher" Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer — has been cast in The CW pilot The Selection. Head will play King Clarkson, the patriarch in the royal family of a Hunger Games-esque dystopian society some 300-ish years in the future. [TVLine]
Full House Plus Scream Equals: I Am Victor, NBC's upcoming drama pilot, has cast Scream alum Matthew Lillard as Victor (John Stamos)'s best friend Elliott, an "off-beat, off-books former cop" who helps his divorce attorney friend acquire info. [Deadline]
She's Keeping Calm: Kelly Preston has landed the starring role on ABC's family comedy pilot Keep Calm and Karey On. She will play Karey, the clean-nosed black sheep in a family of petty thieves, drug addicts and narcissists. When her brother is sent to prison, she decides to raise his kids along with her adopted African-American son and give them the normal lives they deserve. [THR]
Comedy Heavyweights Join Mulaney: After lengthy negotiations, Elliott Gould and Martin Short are set to co-star opposite John Mulaney in his untitled multi-camera comedy pilot for NBC. The show is a young ensemble loosely based on Mulaney’s life. It centers on John (Mulaney), whose naïve, and often pointless, desire to “be a good person” challenges his friendship with his roommates Jane and Seymour. Gould plays John’s gay neighbor. Short plays Lou, a game show host John writes jokes for. [Deadline]
The Trend Continues: The Harlem Shake will probably never go away, but we're okay with that if it means more footage of Supernatural star Jensen Ackles awkwardly shaking what his mama gave him:
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There is a tremendous number of Arrested Development guest stars that we'd love to see return for the upcoming fourth season: Judge Reinhold, John Michael Higgins, Richard Belzer, Zach Braff, Thomas Jane... the (William Hung) jury is still out on whether or not any and all of these prominent thespians will bring their characters back to the offbeat Newport Beach universe, but we will be welcoming some new actors into the AD world. Zap2it reports that stars Isla Fisher and Terry Crews will be joining the upcoming fourth season of Arrested Development
The new season, which will air on Netflix has begun production and is set to launch in the summer of 2013. Both Fisher and Crews have reportedly begun filming their parts for the show, though there is no word on what characters the actors will play.
The Arrested Development reality is so bizarre and versatile that there is hardly any point in even guessing what Fisher or Crews will do. One can surmise that Fisher might provide some kind of a romantic interest for Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), as several big name actresses to grace the show have done — for instance, Charlize Theron and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. As for Crews, anything is possible.
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Penn, who played stoner icon Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 film, will reportedly join co-stars Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer and Forest Whitaker, and director Amy Heckerling at the event in Los Angeles, according to EW.com.
Robert De Niro will present the cast with trophies.

Top Story
Harrison Ford (What Lies Beneath) has signed on to play Fred Cuny, an American aid worker who disappeared in Chechnya in 1995, The Associated Press reports. The as-yet-untitled film is based on David Fanning's 1997 documentary The Lost American and will be penned by Gladiator scribe William Nicholson. Filming is scheduled to begin next year, though it'll likely not be shot on location--then the film would end up being about an American Hollywood star who disappeared in Chechnya.
In General
Barbie's been naughty, and parent Mattel Corp. is none too happy about it. An Argentinean movie, Barbie Gets Sad Too, shows the well-endowed doll having lesbian sex with her Latina maid. Mattel was outraged by Barbie's "performance" and has asked for and received a court order to ban the movie, which was set to debut at Mexico City's Urban-Fest film festival, PageSix.com reports. The movie is a "work of art," according to the festival's director, who allegedly managed to recite that line while keeping a straight face. We're still laughing.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has agreed to pay the state of Connecticut $325,000 for promoting films using phony reviews credited to a Connecticut newspaper. A Sony spokesman reportedly promised that Sony would "never, ever do it again, cross our hearts, hope to die," though eyewitnesses did see him cross his fingers while making that statement.
Despite having aired the openly-gay-themed episode of Ellen when Ellen DeGeneres' character came out of the closet, an ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Va., refused to broadcast the latest episode of Once and Again because it showed two teenage girls kissing. A spokesman for GLAAD (Gay &amp; Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) called it "simple homophobia." We're not quite sure why WSET affiliate management pulled the episode; nobody watches ABC, anyway.
Jerry Seinfeld, titular star of TV's legendary Seinfeld, is making a comeback of sorts to the small screen. Seinfeld has signed a new three-year deal with American Express to make more commercials for the financial institution. It's no wonder why: Seinfeld's previous commercials pulled better ratings than the shows of former colleagues Michael Richards and Jason Alexander combined and ran for longer periods--but that's not saying much.
Hollywood stars (or at least some B listers) appeared at the Michael Awards, the self-proclaimed Fashion Oscars, Monday night. The charitable event, named after Michael Landon, raises money for the National Children's Leukemia Foundation and drew Sigourney Weaver, Cheryl Tiegs, Hallie Eisenberg and Roberta Flack. (Apparently Cheryl Ladd and Debbie Harry were no-shows.)
CSI is looking to break ER's seven-year stranglehold as TV's top-rated drama. For the second week in a row, CSI drew more viewers than ER and leads in average viewers per episode for the season. But in the wacky world of the Nielsen ratings, ER actually has the better rating. Recent rumors purport that the Nielsens were actually started by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris--counting and numbers are clearly her strong suit.
More big names have signed on to new TV shows. John Larroquette (Night Court), Patrick Dempsey and Balthazar Getty signed on to an untitled ABC pilot; Randy Quaid will headline Fox's The Grubbs; NBC's Miss Miami will feature Jonathan Silverman (The Single Guy); and Judge Reinhold is forging a Brave New World on the WB. In related news, ABC has allegedly canceled its fall slate now, avoiding the Christmas rush.
The scheduled Monday night "Face to Face" concert in St. Petersburg, Fla., was canceled when one of the "faces," Billy Joel, called in sick. (Elton John is the other "face" on the billing.) Joel's tour manager said the piano man is afflicted by an "acute upper respiratory infection and laryngitis." The manager said Joel did hand in a note asking that he be excused from the appearance, signed "Joel's mother."

Psst! Wanna buy an ex-movie star?
Step right in. We have recognizable has-beens to suit your every entertainment need. Looking for the leading-man type? We have great deals on Eric Roberts, Patrick Muldoon, Kiefer Sutherland and Dean Cain. In the market for a tough guy? Take your pick of Ray Liotta, Roy Scheider, Michael Ironside and other fine choices. We have leading ladies, too -- Morgan Fairchild, Jennifer Beals and Ally Sheedy.
What's that? You say these guys are box-office poison? Guess again. Even though they were scratched off the Hollywood A-list a while ago, these names still mean something in places such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan. And if you'd dropped in here at the weeklong American Film Market, or AFM, wrapping up today, you'd realize that being big in the Netherlands might not be glamorous, but it's nothing to sneeze at.
Case in point: Jeff Fahey.
You might remember Fahey from his supporting roles in movies such as "Silverado" and "Wyatt Earp," or maybe even "The Lawnmower Man." But you might not know that Fahey is a certifiable movie star overseas, top-billed in dozens of thrillers and action films (search the Net and you'll find numerous Web sites paying homage to the hard-working actor). Strolling through the hallways of the Loews Hotel, where distributors at the AFM hawk their wares, you'd have seen posters for some of his latest: "The Sculptress," "Blind Heat" (co-starring the venerable Maria Conchita Alonso) and "Epicenter."
"Jeff's got a lot of movies out there right now," says Anthony J. Lyons, vice president of IFM Film Associates, an Aussie company based in Los Angeles that makes movies for $1 million to $3 million. "He's an internationally known actor, and he's not too expensive to get. Rather than charge $200,000 for one movie, he might charge you $50,000, but he'll get 20 movies instead of two. These days you need known actors to sell your films overseas, and Jeff is a good value."
How many times have you heard an actor praised as a "good value?" Money talks at the AFM, and Fahey is a favorite son here because his films fall into those tried-and-true genres (action movies, thrillers, lowbrow comedy, T-and-A, horror/sci-fi) that cross cultural and language barriers. These kinds of movies appeal to the dozens of international distributors who come here each year looking for stuff to buy. Films that will go straight to video or cable TV in the United States (that is, if they are released here at all) but can pull in a nice chunk of change in overseas markets.
The foreign rights to about 350 movies were up for grabs at this year's AFM, and an estimated $400 million in deals were made. Not all the films represented were of the low-budget, guns-and-car-crashes, monsters-and-scantily-clad-babes variety. TFI International was peddling foreign rights to "The Golden Bowl," the forthcoming Merchant-Ivory production starring Uma Thurman and Anjelica Huston; the new Roland Joffe movie "Vatel," with Thurman, Gerard Depardieu and Tim Roth, was also advertised, as was "Brother," the new movie from Japanese director "Beat" Takeshi Kitano.
But it was loads more fun to troll the market for the wreckage of once-thriving acting careers. There was Judge Reinhold from the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies, heading up a slam-bang actioner called "Crackerjack 2: Hostage Train," from North American Releasing. Reinhold plays Jack Wild -- no, not the guy from H.R. Pufnstuf -- a "rogue cop with a mission ... obsessed with capturing the notorious Hans Becker, a '60s-style Red Brigade type who has transformed himself into a '90s-style terrorist for hire," or so says publicity materials from the production. The film co-stars Michael Sarrazin as the bad guy. (Curiously, Reinhold did not appear in "Crackerjack 1," nor is he in the forthcoming "Crackerjack 3." Really.)
Other blasts from the past who have become AFM stalwarts include Steve Guttenberg, who gets the Most Interesting Title award for his directorial debut, "P.S. Your Cat is Dead!" Guttenberg is billed by the film's backers as the "acclaimed star of several billion dollars worth of top box-office and critical winners." Elsewhere, another company was dealing a different Guttenberg film, "Second Chance," a comedy with an all-star lineup of Pauly Shore, Robert Wagner and Tim Conway (no word, however, if Conway did the film in his ever-popular "Dorf" disguise).
If the definition of celebrity is skewed a bit in the films paraded here, the same can be said for the event itself. The American Film Market isn't a film festival -- there are no awards ceremonies, no paparazzi stampedes, and although there are premieres, they don't include big red-carpet entrances for celebrities.
It's not unusual for workaday actors such as Eric Roberts or Gary Busey to show up and do a little press for one of their films here, and they can walk through the hotel without being hassled. And you don't hear about wild antics on the after-hours party scene here. This is about as racy as it gets: One night last week, Jamie Kennedy (the film geek from the "Scream" films) got lost while walking around in search of the buyers' party for "The Specials," his new low-budget superhero comedy -- and he had to ask a bystander for directions.
"I've been to a few festivals before, but I've never been to something quite like this, which is pure marketing," said "Star Trek" actor George Takei, who was here promoting an as-yet unmade sci-fi film, "Overload," made by and starring a crew of former child actors including Tony Dow ("Leave It To Beaver") and Bill Mumy ("Lost in Space"). "But I know what the rules of the game are. I'm here to help sell the movie, which is something I never did with 'Star Trek.'"
If they ever hand out a lifetime achievement award to an actor at the AFM, it should probably go to Karen Black, the veteran of "Five Easy Pieces," "Nashville," "Airport 1975" and other 1970s classics who still works constantly, albeit in the relative obscurity of low-budget offerings, including many titles up for grabs at the market in recent years.
Black does it all -- from children's films ("Malaika," a movie about an elephant), to boring dramas about people over 40 ("The Donor," with David Carradine) and soft-core stuff (such as "Dinosaur Valley Girls," a movie from a few years back, in which she wore a loincloth) -- which makes her a fine role model for some of the other actresses such as Jasmine Guy, Carol Alt and Tahnee Welch following in her footsteps at the market.
"Karen is making a comeback, believe it or not," said Eric Louzil, president of RHG/Lions Share Pictures, which is peddling an independent film called "Oliver Twisted," in which Black stars. "... I've seen her name in quite a few films lately. She's quite a talent."
And at the AFM, a little talent goes a long way.

Title

Voiced The Honorable Judge Reinhold in epsiodes of the animated TV spin-off of Kevin Smith's film "Clerks"

Acted in regional theater

Returned for sequel "Beethoven's 4th"

Again portrayed Billy for "Beverly Hills Cop III"

Cast as "The Yank" in "A Soldier's Tale"

Played Detective Billy Rosewood in the first of three "Beverly Hills Cop" films starring Eddie Murphy

Cast as the lead in the short-lived TV series "Raising Caines"

Produced and starred in TV-movie, "Judge Reinhold and Demi Moore in The New Homeowner's Guide to Happiness"

Assumed role as Newton family patriarch in video sequel "Beethoven's 3rd"

Cast in the TNT miniseries, "Into The West"

Reprised role as Neal in "The Santa Claus 2"

Film acting debut in "Running Scared"

Cast as hapless stero-dealer-turned-kidnapper in "Ruthless People"

First starring film role, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

TV acting debut, "Survival of Dana"

Reprised role opposite Tim Allen in "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause"

Had a notable guest appearence as Neal the Close-Talker on an episode of "Seinfeld"

Reprised role as Billy in "Beverly Hills Cops II"

Cast as Dr. Neal Miller in "The Santa Claus"

Starred in the telepic "As Good as Dead" with Crystal Bernard and Tracy Lords

Small role as policeman in the comedy "Homegrown"

Summary

Engaging comic actor, tall and freckle-faced with a neighborly air, whose strong suit has been enacting a naif's befuddlement and a slapstick-style physical elasticity. After starting out in regional theater, he made his mark as the blundering senior in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). Reinhold is best known as the ineffectual detective Billy Rosewood, opposite Eddie Murphy in the blockbuster "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and its sequels.

Name

Role

Comments

Edward Ernest Reinhold Sr

Father

Carrie Frazier

Wife

together from 1981; married in 1986; divorced

Kaitlin Hopkins

Companion

born c. 1964; engaged to be married since May 1993; no longer together